Time Spent Apart
by redheadleela
Summary: Alternative universe story leaving off from the end of S5 and going its own way from there. My first CSI:NY fic. If Lindsay wasn't around could Danny cope with being a parent? What would take Lindsay away from her daughter?
1. Chapter 1

Author Note: Hey all. This is my first ever attempt at CSI:NY fanfiction so all constructive feedback will be most welcome. I have imagined this story to be set between season 5 and season 6, probably as an alternative to the climatic plot point that finished season 5. Rating is precautionary due to some adult themes, and not due to language.

Disclaimer: I don't own any rights to CSI:NY I just like to play with the characters!

The day Lindsey vanished, snatched from a crime scene, I knew we would look, but anyone who was smart enough and careful enough to get my wife wouldn't leave us much to go on. And they didn't, a few broken hair fibres, a shred of newspaper and a blurred capture on her camera. From what we saw when we arrived she seemed to have gone for her gun first but been separated from it quickly, no rounds were fired, her gun was clean except for the scratches from the asphalt. I said we only found those few clues at the scene, one other thing we found which chilled me to the bone, was blood which we tested and found to be hers. Stella tried to reassure me by reminding me that Lindsey had been disarmed, if they wanted her dead they would have done it there. As well meant as this was, it didn't do much to help how worried I was for her, I knew (as does Stella) that there are things worse than a quick death and every one of them ran through my mind each night as I tried to sleep. Whoever said 'ignorance is bliss' was an idiot!

When Mac called me into his office to inform me that 'officially' her disappearance was now a cold case part of me died. I knew he was only telling me as my boss and not as mine and Lindsey's friend. The only thing that held me together was Lucy, she needed me and I needed her. I think if I'm honest I needed her more than she needed me. I know that sounds strange given how young she was when Lindsey disappeared but the team were helping me a lot with the childcare. So Lucy was being taken care of and was doing well although I could tell she was confused by Lindsey's absence, she would give me the strangest questioning look as if she wanted to ask me about it all. Lucy definitely missed her too.

Me, well I wasn't doing as well, I think everyone could see it and I didn't care. Don knew better than anyone how much I was struggling as he'd been pulling me out of dive bars for months, since Lindsey went.

So when he rang me this morning I was cursing him for disturbing me when he knew I'd have a killer hangover.

"Yeah Don, whaddya want?"

"Are you awake?"

What I said tonight wasn't polite!

Flack chuckled, "I'll take that as a 'yes', will I?"

I grunted at him and rolled over to check the time, "Seriously Don, what do you want?"

"I got called to a construction site this morning, they found something when they broke ground. I'm calling 'cos you should see what they found."

The room span as I stood so I had to sit on the floor and grab for the glass of water that Flack, damn him, had left on the bedside table the night before.

"Danny? Still with me?"

"Ugh, yeah."

I actually heard him smirk, "Tried to get up did you?"

"Yeah. What did I drink last night?"

"According to Mike behind the bar, half of his stock. Come meet me for a coffee and I'll show you what they found this morning."

"Why can't you just tell me?" My head was spinning and I'd like nothing better than to hide under the duvet until midday when Stella was due to bring Lucy back to me.

"Trust me, it needs to be seen." Flack sounded suddenly serious.

"Alright, give me time to shower and I'll meet you at the diner on the corner."

"Sure, see you in half an hour."

I groaned and hung up on him. I hated him for waking me up but I owed him for pouring me into bed the night before (and a fair few before that too) and something about the way he had talked about this found item piqued my curiosity. I drank some more of the water, and managed to get myself to the shower before I fell down again. Another monumental effort and the shower was switched on and the sudden downpour of cold water woke me up, finally.

Fifteen minutes later I swung myself into the booth which Flack, who greeted me the comment, "You look like death", already occupied and we waited until the waitress had filled my coffee cup and moved off. When she had Flack reached into his jacket and pulled out an clear plastic evidence bag, with a dirty battered cellphone inside. He lay it down on the table in front of me. I looked at it, while drinking my coffee and after about a minute an idea came to me that made me put the coffee down, "It's the same model as Lindsey's was... is..."

Don had the decency to look away until I'd recollected myself after my slip of tense.

When I'd recovered he pointed at the phone and said, "Look closer." I did as he told me, as I did I noticed a few silvery stickers attached to the outer casing of the phone. Given the condition of the phone it was amazing that they were still attached at all.

"Adam has the same style phone, he kept picking hers up and wandering off with it, he wouldn't notice the difference until he tried to 'groove to his tunes' as he put it. She got sick of chasing him to get her phone back so she added those stickers." I paused before adding quietly, "I'd forgotten about that."

I looked up at Flack slowly, not daring to the voice the idea that had been suggested.

"Well if you're not going to say it, will I? This is the first evidence we've found since..., well since she was taken. You okay?"

I must have looked pale, sickly even, but I think a lot of that would be due to the hangover, but still he was right I was worried, "It doesn't mean she's alive Don." I said it quietly almost whispering.

"Hey." I looked up and met his fierce gaze, "And it doesn't mean she's dead either! You're not giving up now, she'd kick your ass for that!"

That made me smile, "You're right, she would."

I sat back and finished my coffee, despite myself, I was already thinking hard on how this could help us to find her. As much as I wouldn't say it out loud, I knew with all my heart that she was still out there somewhere, alive and waiting.

"Has Mac seen this? What's the chain of evidence?"

"From the crime scene where Adam identified it and signed it over to me, and I still have it, simple as that."

"He should see it, we should get it to the lab," I was already half way into my jacket, "Where did you say it was found?"

Things moved quickly after that and before I knew it I was sat in Mac's office surrounded by the team being asked, "Are you sure?"

I fixed Stella with such a look that she squirmed in her seat, quite an achievement when its Stella we're talking about.

"Yes I'm sure."

Mac glanced between me and Stella before adding, "Really sure Danny? I mean its been 4 months."

I groaned, rubbed my hand across my face and sat forward pointing at the phone, "Those stickers on the centre of the back case of the phone... Lindsay put those there because Adam kept wandering off with her phone."

"Oh yeah." Adam breathed across the table from me, "I'd forgott..." He looked up at me nervously.

"Yeah I had too, until Flack showed me the phone." I sighed, thinking about how long the last few months had seemed, "So I'm sure."

There was silence for a few minutes, when Hawkes said, "Is there anything on it? Any clues?"

Mac stood up and clicked at the screen behind him, "The last activity on the phone was only a fortnight ago."

"But it might not have been her using it"

"I know it wasn't her." Everyone spun to look at Adam.

"How?" My voice croaked as I spoke. Mac looked solemn but nodded at Adam before clicking at the screen again. A photo appeared on the screen replacing the data from the phone company.

I gasped, barely able to process what I was seeing, but my voice seemed to work of its own accord, "Lindsay!"

It was definitely her, instantly recognisable despite being thinner than I'd ever seen her. I stared up at this image of my wife; emaciated, dirty and broken. I could see fresh and partially healed contusions on her face and arms. There was someone else's hand holding her face by the chin, forcing her to look straight at the camera lens.

I didn't realise that I was shaking until Hawkes laid a hand, "Danny?" I blinked away the tears from my eyes and glanced around to find everyone staring at me. I cleared my throat and, after chewing on my tongue for another awkward few moments, I choked out, "Erm, but how do we know when this was taken?"

Mac frowned at me before asking, "How hungover are you?"

Adam quickly followed with a explanation, "The time and date are digitally encoded when the photo is taken and I can tell they haven't been altered because the file is uncorrupted."

There was another silence round the room as this information was absorbed. Eventually Mac spoke again, "So we know she's alive.."

I cut across him, "We know she was alive 2 weeks ago."

"Still better than what we had!" The sudden emotion in Adam's voice made us all turn to face him.

Stella laid her hand on his shoulder, "How many times do we need to tell you Adam, it's not your fault." He looked up, straight at me. I realised what he was trying not to say.

"I haven't told you that. We haven't talked about it, my fault, I haven't been around much..." My voice trailed away as Adam gave my face a fleeting terrified look as I stepped towards him, before staring down at his shoes. I stood square in front of him and raised his head so he was looking at me, a little voice in the corner of my mind pointed out the similarity of the action to that being done to Lindsay in the photo, but I shook it away. "Adam. What happened at the crime scene, Lindsay being taken, its not your fault. I've never blamed you. And finding her phone, it takes us closer to finding her again, obviously my main motivation, but it brings us closer to finding the people who took her from us too."

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Mac nod and Adam offered me a weak smile.

I stepped back, out of Adam's personal bubble, and looked around as I said, "So what's our next move?"

Stella stepped forwards and took my arm, "Your next move Danny is to take your daughter home and spend some time with her." I looked at her, trying to gauge if she was telling me off.

Stella sighed, "She kept asking for you last night, and looking for you round my place."

I chuckled under my breath before becoming serious again, "Yeah, you're right. But you guys will call me if anything happens, if you find anything?"

Mac nodded and clapped his hand on my shoulder, "Of course we will, now lets get you and my beautiful god-daughter home, cos I don't think you're in a fit state to drive."

I nodded and smiled briefly at the rest of the team before leaving the room. As I walked into the break room, I saw Lucy strapped into her travel chair, sleeping peacefully, or at least until I walked in she was. As I entered the room, she opened her eyes, yawned and stated "Dada!" and raised her arms to me.

I smiled back at her, that's the thing in common between mother and daughter I'm most grateful for lately, they both can always make me smile.


	2. Chapter 2

Author note: thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed this story so far, your input and encouragement means a lot to me. I do apologise for the glacial rate at which I'm writing this, I've had a busy few months. Hopefully some of you will put up with my slow updates. Any comments/criticism of the characterisation would be helpful (as I've never written CSI:NY before). Hope you all enjoy this, its once again in Danny's POV, except the last bit, but it's clearly labelled.

Please review, reviews are the tickle-fights of fanfiction, you say 'stop!' but you never mean it!

I was busy when Mac knocked on my door a week later, so it took me a while to answer. I assumed that that's why he was frowning as I opened it, "Hey Mac, what's up? Come on in."

He stepped inside still looking around curiously.

"Erm, Mac?"

"Oh. Er..." Mac shook his head as if clearing away cobwebs, "What were you doing before you came to the door, I could hear some very strange noises?"

I suddenly realised why he had been confused, "High pitched?"

Mac nodded and I grinned and beckoned him towards Lucy's bedroom.

She sat rocking happily with he fist in her mouth, drooling copiously. When she noticed I'd returned, she squeaked, giggled and wrapped her podgy little arms around her stomach.

"Hi Lucy." Mac smile affectionately at her before returning to face me, "so it was Lucy I could hear? What were you doing to her?" Mac looked at me curiously and back at Lucy who again giggled with a look of mischief on her face that wouldn't have looked out of place on her mother's.

I shrugged and answered, "Tickle fight."

Mac's face broke into a smile, although he tried to look serious and stern as he asked, "Isn't it cheating slightly when she can't fight back?"

"You would think so, but she started it!"

Mac frowned and opened his mouth to ask further but stopped as Lucy giggled at his rapidly changing expressions.

I leant into the cot, picked her up and explained, "I was watching the Mets match last night and she was on the floor playing with her blocks until she decided my feet were more fun!"

Mac laughed now and tickled Lucy's chin as she beamed at him.

I shifted her onto my hip and asked, "So... social visit or"

"Oh, right." Mac looked as if he had forgotten where he was, never mind why. I could see written plain on his face the strain he had been under with Lindsay's absence. He was silent a few moments longer, during which he played with Lucy's fingers. In the end it was to her he addressed his words, "You should be getting your mom back soon."

I saw her face crumple, and I wrapped her into a hug. Some combination of the tone of Mac's voice and the word 'mom' had resonated with her understanding of Lindsay being gone. She snuggled fiercely into my shoulder, seemingly trying not to cry. "Nice one Mac."

"Sorry." He looked awkward as I shushed and comforted Lucy, before I spoke again.

"So? You have news?"

"Yes. Or more to the point Adam does. He thinks he's perfected his tracking programme, it certainly worked on his and Hawkes' phones."

I struggled to catch my breath and was only brought out of my shock by Lucy wriggling in my grip. It seems she'd decided to forgive Mac and wanted to be held by him. I handed her over to him and sat down heavily on the rocking chair, almost knocking myself out in the process. I looked up at Mac and whispered, "He can find her?"

Mac smiled down at Lucy, who appeared to be trying to climb up him, before meeting my eyes "He can trace where her phone has been since she's been missing, it isn't a quick process as he has to trawl through the historic data, but the programme he's written speeds it up considerably. So if we can find where her phone has been, since we know she was with her phone two weeks ago..."

I sighed out a breath I didn't realise I'd been holding. "When will we know?"

"The programme takes at least 24 hours to run, longer if there are multiple locations."

I felt like a balloon was inflating in my chest, I tried so hard to stop it. I knew that although this was good news that there were no guarantees. There was still every chance we would find her body rather than... I pulled myself from that train of thought, remembering what Flack had said to me just the other day, _'You're not giving up now, she'd kick your ass for that!' _

Mac was looking at me steadily, patiently waiting for me to recover my voice.

I cleared my throat, which had become swollen with a painful mixture of hope and fear, "You'll let me know..."

Mac cut me off, "As soon as we know. I promise."

I nodded, incapable of further speech. Mac kissed Lucy on the forehead and deposited her back in her cot, much to her displeasure, and quietly let himself out of the apartment. I sat in the quiet for a while wondering where Lindsay was now, and whether she knew they were still looking and getting closer.

CSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NYCSI:NY

Lindsay's POV

As I became conscious again I hoped with all my soul that today would be one of the days he didn't come to see me. There were about as many days that he came as ones where he didn't. I think of them as 'days' but I suppose I don't really know, I've long since lost track of time and with only minimal lighting in my 'cell' the distinction between night and day has blurred. I simply slept when I could, and I seemed all the more tired in the recent days. I know why, malnutrition and dehydration were weakening me, almost to the point of no return. With this in mind I chastised myself for praying for a day with no visit, because a day without a visit was a day without water. Sometimes he even brought food for me, but whatever he brought for me he never left without inflicting some degree of pain to my already battered body. He always beat me, on every visit, despite the fact that I'd stopped fighting him a long time ago. I had hoped that resisting the urge to fight him would mean I would be freed sooner rather than later, but now... Well now I just spend my time thinking of Danny and Lucy. I try to stick to the good memories I have, and not dwell on the things I'll never see. I had no way of knowing how long I'd been held in this dark cold pit, but it seemed to me that day by day the room was getting colder, 'Perhaps,' I thought to myself, 'Fall is ending and changing to Winter.' I tried to put out of my mind the idea of how different Lucy was likely to be if I ever saw her again. I paused before muttering, "when, not if..."

I was dragged from my musing by a scraping sound by the door, the sound of a lock being removed. I shuffled backwards against the cold, wet stone and tried to make myself as small as possible. Not that it helped, but I couldn't stop myself from going through the motions of self-preservation. The door swung open and I was momentarily blinded by the bright light of the corridor and I shuddered as I heard the, although now familiar still, cruel voice announce, "We're going to have visitors soon, let's make you look your best."

I looked up with my last ounce of curiosity, just in time to receive a blow straight to my nose. I felt the next two blows before the world went grey and fuzzy, and slid sideways into blackness.

Please review, reviews are the tickle-fights of fanfiction, you say 'stop!' but you never mean it!


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